Egypt has long had a fraught relationship with human rights. According to Freedom House, an international NGO that assesses degrees of democratic on a scale from 1 (most free) to 7 (least free), Egypt is Not Free with a 6 on Political Rights and a 5 on Civil Liberties in 2011 (Freedom House). Having formally gained full sovereignty from Britain following World War II, Egypt developed its political system as consisting of a strong president and only nominal guarantees for any type of human rights. Because it has been in a State of Emergency since 1981, Emergency Law allows for the arrest of citizens for acts such as insulting police, blocking traffic or protesting the government.
Beyond the restriction of political rights, including severe media censorship, limited freedom of assembly and tampered elections, discrimination against Coptic Christians has led to bloody clashes with little or no interference from the government (Human Rights Watch). Prison conditions are quite poor, with inmates subject to abuse and torture with little or no sanitation or medical care. Police brutality leading to death has been largely glossed over. Regarding women, spousal rape is no illegal and honor-killings are met with leniency under the law. Despite its illegality, female genital mutilation is still widely practiced (Freedom House)
Of course, all of these violations have contributed to the demonstrations beginning January 25, 2011 and leading to the dissolving of the government and the resignation of Hosni Mubarak as President. Egypt will be ruled by a military junta for the next six months, with a suspended constitution and dissolved parliament, until new elections can be held (Al Jazeera).
"Egypt." Freedom House . Freedom House, 13/01/2011.
Web. 12 Feb 2011.
<http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=70&release=1334>.
Web. 13 Feb 2011.
<http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201121217639448807.html>
"World Report 2010: Egypt." Human Rights Watch. Human Rights
Watch, 2010. Web. 13 Feb 2011.
<http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2011/egypt>.
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